


Burning Bridges

by jacquelee



Series: Star Trek Waverider [8]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:22:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29686683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacquelee/pseuds/jacquelee
Summary: After finding out that she is a clone, Ava is doing her best to burn all the bridges to Starfleet, including her friendships. But Sara has never been good at staying away from fire.
Relationships: Sara Lance & Ava Sharpe
Series: Star Trek Waverider [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1887892
Kudos: 5
Collections: Ladies Bingo 2020





	Burning Bridges

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [ladiesbingo](http://ladiesbingo.dreamwidth.org) for the prompt A member of the underclass (urchins / beggar / outcast)

Ava didn't know why she still came to this bar, even after all the trouble she had here, but maybe it was some way for her to hang onto the first thing that had been her decision, not someone else's, not some implanted memory or some programmed thought. Well, she could never be sure of that of course, but as Sara had put it, as long as she had free will, her programming wasn't much different than genetics. 

Thinking of Sara was a mistake, since the only thing it did was making her think of their last meeting, right here, only a few days ago. On one hand, Ava was glad that Starfleet had sent Sara to reprimand her since everyone else would probably have ended up with a bloody nose and that would have ended with her in a Federation prison, but on the other hand she couldn't help but feel a little sting at her best friend carrying out orders to remind her that helping the Maquis and thwarting an operation that had been planned for months – even if that hadn't necessarily been her goal, she was just making a passing remark to one of the kids who frequented the bar – was not something that Starfleet looked kindly on. 

The conversation had gone towards Ava more or less openly admitting that she was currently running on the assumption that her programming as a clone was to serve Starfleet and to follow the rules and therefore she was doing everything she could that was the direct opposite of that, including helping those like her, the outcasts, the revolutionaries that the Federation called terrorists. That she herself had called terrorists just a short time ago. 

Her entire world view had shifted when she had found out that she was a clone. Genetics or not, everyone who had a childhood would have some frame of reference as to which decisions they made because of what they'd been born with and which ones because of what they had learned along the way. She suddenly didn't have that anymore and ripping the entire thing away, building it back up from scratch seemed like the only way she could get it back. 

Except that meant burning bridges to things that were still far too important for her to be okay with them just being gone. Like her friendship with Sara. But maybe that bridge wasn't completely burnt, at least not yet. Because Sara hadn't been angry. She hadn't carried out her orders to give Ava an official warning, one that if she did anything to hinder Starfleet operations again she would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, which she was very well aware of. The only thing she had done was to inform her of what Starfleet was doing and then…

It still was difficult for Ava to just think about it, but she also couldn't stop replaying the conversation in her head. 

_"Say the word and I'm with you."_

_Ava was confused. Sara coming to the bar and talking about how her informing members of the Maquis of a Starfleet operation had gotten her a lot of disapproval had not been that much of a surprise, but her leaning over and speaking in a low voice to drop this bomb on Ava was._

_"What?"_

_"I don't know what this is, what you're doing but I don't care. If you think joining the Maquis is the right thing to do, I'll come with you. Hell, everyone thinks I'm half rogue already and it's not like I particularly agree with the Federation's decision to just abandon the colonies."_

_"You'd be an outcast. Worse than that, you'd be an enemy of Starfleet, of the Federation. You can't seriously consider this."_

_"You are."_

_"No? I'm not. Or maybe, I don't even know. But if I am, you know why."_

_"I do. And I agree. See, that's another reason for me to go with you."_

_"No. No, I would never ask you for that. I couldn't. You have your family, your friends. Your dreams. Being a Starfleet Captain is all you ever wanted and it's right there, in your grasp. I'd never want to be the one to take that away from you. This is my path, my fight, not yours. Promise me you won't give up everything just for me. Please."_

_Sara looked for a moment like she would disagree, like she would tell Ava how much she didn't care. But eventually she nodded._

_"Alright. I promise. But I'll come for you if you need me and that's a promise too. I know you don't need anyone, but who knows. Maybe you will one day. And then I will be there."_

Remembering, Ava couldn't help but smile. Of course Sara was too stubborn to just let her burn the bridge completely. And even then, Ava was pretty sure she'd just swim back anyways. In a way, it was comforting. Even when she was building her entire life from scratch, trying to gain the individuality she apparently never had before, there was something familiar, something she knew was good waiting for her on the other side.

At least she hoped it would still be there whenever she had figured this out.


End file.
